It’s not secret that Mike Woodson does not like Phil Jackson after he was fired by Jackson in favor of Derek Fisher. Woodson, now an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers, had some remarks for Jackson on the offseason trade of Tyson Chandler to the Dallas Mavericks.
Following From Marc Berman (New York Post).
One thing is for sure: Woodson would have fought to keep center Tyson Chandler, whom Jackson couldn’t jettison fast enough the day before the NBA draft.
“Had I stayed on board, I probably would’ve pushed to keep Tyson and keep the core group together because that’s what won the 54 games two years ago,’’ Woodson, now a Clippers assistant, said Wednesday night before his new team clobbered the Knicks, 111-80. “But people change. You got to live with it. They’ve had a tough season so far.
“Hopefully they can rebound this summer and put some pieces together and get back to winning basketball games.’’
Woodson must be pleased with the inability of the Knicks to win games under their rookie head coach, and is likely thankful he does not have to coach the group of goons being called the New York Knicks. Had Woodson remained the coach, it is unlikely they would have been much better, and they may have even been worse. With the implementation of Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, the team will take some time before they are ready to compete in the league.
Woodson may not agree with the decision Jackson made, which is really the reason why he is no longer the head coach of the Knicks. Maybe this breakup was for the best, and helped keep drama out of an already dramatic New York City. Wooden is probably better off in Los Angeles where he will not be disagreeing with changes that he would not have wanted to occur in New York. Who knows if he would have even been able to make it through the pitiful season without quitting because he can’t deal with Jackson.
